The ability to reduce the size of an object is typically an important advance in different fields of technology, where such reduction increases efficiency, reduces cost and promotes portability, as evident by the success of traditional semiconductor techniques. In response, different industries have incorporated and modified various semiconductor techniques to reduce the size and cost of different products, e.g., various fluid delivery systems.
One example is the field of microfluidic devices and methods as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,585,069 (Partitioned Microelectronic And Fluidic Device Array For Clinical Diagnostics And Chemical Synthesis) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,603,351 (Method And System For Inhibiting Cross-Contamination In Fluids Of Combinatorial Chemistry Device), which are incorporated herein by reference. These devices provide arrays having micron sized reservoirs and channels for delivery of a very small amount of fluids to a specific location, e.g., a receptor or reaction cell on the array.
Another example is the field of inkjet printing which applies the traditional semiconductor techniques in the design of inkjet printhead. Nozzles on the printhead can be formed using traditional laser or other etching processes. Typically, the inkjet printhead incorporates heating elements or piezoelectric drivers to heat or to perturbate acoustically ink drops onto a receptor, e.g., a piece of paper.
However, such fluid devices are often components of a much larger system or they must be manipulated or serviced by a larger system to perform their primary function, which is the delivery of fluids to a receptor. For example, the printhead must reside within a printer. This limitation significantly reduces the portability of the device.
Therefore, a need exists in the art for a portable receptor that incorporates microchannels and reservoir(s) for selectively dispensing fluid(s) from the reservoir(s) to a specific location, e.g., onto the surface of the receptor.